cj7 all jacked up

11-06-2006, 09:36 AM

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...7/DCP_0308.jpgOk, here is the thing. I bought a 1984 cj7, stock, added spring over lift, 3 inch body lift, 2 inch reverse shackle lift, drop pitman, drop sway bar, 40 inch tires on 15x15 rims, upgraded steering gear, corrected drive shaft angle(front and rear) all new bushings, new shocks, new steering column, new axle u joints, new front bearings, complete 4 wheel alignment. I will upload pics if someone will tell me how. And the problem I am having is wander, not death wobble or bump steer. I can drive 50 or so on good roads but I am constantly correcting, do I just have to live with this action, or is there something I missed?? I know it seems silly to have it so high, but at a property I own, you normally drive through about 3 feet of water to get to it( alot of mud too) the jeep performs really well here, it almost floats, but the drive to and from the river property is really nerve racking. Any suggestions would be appreciated. By the way, I am new here and love the column, lots of information to go through. got the pic up, the shackles are not reversed in this pic, but it has been done.http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...7/DCP_0306.jpg

Make sure that all of your ball joints and TRE's are not worn out. I also see that you only have a single steering dampener. Im not sure about this, but would upgrading to a dual steering stabelizer help? just a thought.... Good luck

out of curiosity what else is under that thing? engine, tranny, TC, axles, lockers, looks like some lift springs along with the SOA too?

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Sorry, it,s just a 258 I-6(rebuilt) 5 speed close ratio trans(rebuilt) not sure of the transfercase. Yes, oversize leafs. I see all the pics from other people, looks like everyone here likes rocks!!! I am in south texas, there are no rocks...but alot of sand, water, and mud. On the dual stabilizer thing, I have been reading on here that just masks a bigger problem, don't know for sure, but thanks for the input.

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Sweet ride there highcj7. Mine does the same thing, and I have less lift and smaller tires. With bigger tires comes more wander, if anything is loose or worn, it seems 3 times as bad w/larger tires. Although when you had it aligned, they should have told you if anything needed replacing. Also you may have threw the camber/caster off with the lift and/or springover, you might have to shim it to correct it. You will probably get better answers than mine, though. Some of these guys really know there stuff!!
good luck and welcome to the forum!!

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Thanks for the input, I hope someone knows, I am running out of answers. I can provide closeups of any running gear and lift components anyone might need to see, there are some custom made pieces(to do with steering) but nothing too brutal, I need height more than strength in this instance, also i don't have a need for alot of wheel travel like most of you, but I would like it to be a little more "user-friendly" at highway speeds.

With the set up you have. I would use a heavy duty steering box mount and a brace. I would even look into a hydro assist.

How was the steering linkage done? Is it a high steer set up?
What angle is on the drag link.

Do you have any play in the steering box?

As said at first start with the basics. Check things out very carefully. With the large tires you are putting way more stress on the stock parts than what was ever intended. Also keep in mind that with wide tires, they tend to find parts of the pavement and pull around some. Such as grooves in the pavement.

I have a cj-7 the rides on 36" tires, a spring over suspension, high clearence steering the drag link is almost parrell with the tie rod (which is what you like to shoot for) I do not have a dampner on it. I can run highway speeds with it and it does not wander.

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My first thought is Castor angle. Castor angle is one of the biggest problems with any size shackle lift and you seem to have a beauty on that thing.

Another thing that may be worth looking into is larger wheels. When you shoot rocks you need the sidewall flex, but in your situation (highway and limited mud/sand) some reduction in sidewall may actually help.

Check for slop in the steering shaft and lower steering column bearing. Those parts are often overlooked when trying to locate steering problems.

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Thanks for all the input. I cant say my drag link is parrellel, High steer would not work so I built one, it is somewhat of a "Z" shape, 1-1/2" rod with welded braces in the bends, ABSOLUTELY no flex!! TRE's are all new, new steering box, heavy duty bracket and braced to the other frame rail. This caster business is the only thing I am wondering about. In laymans terms, how would someone go about checking it and what sort of adjustment would be best for my application?? P.S.- I went to the property yesterday, and with all the rain we have been getting, looks like I might need a snorkel(pics to come) anyway, they sell them for the newer YJ's, anyone have thoughts where to get one for a CJ, or do I need to try and design my own??

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I think when you run wide tires like that they seem to grab every little imperfection in the road and tend to pull you one way or another. I have that problem. I helped my caster problem by putting degree shims under the front axle, which in your case would have to be on top of the axle, I think. What it does is tilt the axle back to restore the correct caster after lifting the vehicle. Before I did this it felt like the Jeep was "skating" on ice. It's better now, but I don't think I am within specs. I think it's supposed to be around 5 degrees caster stock.

Don't forget that when you add degree or tilt shims, you are changing the lube angles in the diff.

Not really... you would actually be putting the lube angles back to stock. If it came with 5 degrees of caseter, and you add shimms to put it back to 5 degrees of caster, then nothing has changed. There is a change in the lube pattern when you do not corect the caster to stock specs